Abandinus
Romano-Celtic god known from an inscription inCambridgeshire, England. Little else is known.
Abarta
"Performer of Feats". Irish (Celtic) god,member of the Tuatha De Danann.
Abellio
Gallic (Celtic) local deity of the Garonne valley,possibly a god of apple-trees.
Abnoba
Romano-Celtic forest and river goddess (Black Forest area).Source of the English river name "Avon" and itscognates in continental Europe.
Adraste
See Andraste.
Adsullata
Continental Celtic river goddess.
Aed
An Irish (Celtic) underworld god. Son of Lir and Aobh.
Aenghus
See Aengus.
Aengus
(ANGUS, AONGHUS, OENGUS OF THE BRUIG)
Irish (Celtic) god, apparently of love and youth. Son of the
Dagda and 'the wife of Elcmar', generally believed to be thegoddess Boann. He is associated with the valley of the River
Boyne. Aengus was said to have dreamed of a beautiful maiden, forwhom he searched all Ireland. He eventually found her, named
Caer, chained to 150 maidens who were destined to turn into swansat the feast of Samhain (November 1). Aengus transformed himself
into a swan and was so united with Caer, who followed him back tohis palace at Brugh na Boinne on the River Boyne (modern New
Grange).
Aericura
Romano-Celtic chthonic underworld god.
Aes Sidhe
'The people of the hills', collective name for the old Irish gods
who dwell in hills.
Agrona
Celtic goddess of strife and slaughter. The river Aeron in Wales
is named after her.
Ai
(AOI MAC OLLAMAIN)
Irish poet god, a member of the Tuatha De Danaan.
Aibell
(AOIBHELL)
Irish 'fairy' goddess.
Aillen
In Irish mythology, a malevolent Otherworld beast.
Aimend
Irish sun goddess.
Aine
Irish goddess of love and fertility. Daughter of Eogabail, who was in turn the foster-son of Manannan Mac Lir. Later regarded as a fairy queen in County Limerick.
Airitech
Irish creature of the Otherworld whose three daughters took on the shape of werewolves who were eventually killed by the warrior Cas Corach.
Alaunus
(ALANNUS, ALOUNIS)
A Celtic version of Mercury in the areas of Mannheim and
Salzburg.
Albiorix
"King of the world". An epithet of the Celtic god Teutates on an inscription at Avignon.
Alisanos
(ALISAUNUS)
Local god of Celtic Gaul, in the region of the Cite d'Or.
Amaethon
Welsh god of agriculture. Son of Don and brother of Gwydion. In one account he stole a dog, lapwing and roebuck from Arawn, the
Welsh god of the dead, resulting in a war between Amaethon and his kin (the Children of Don) and the underworld deities led by
Arawn. In the Battle of Cath Godeau, or the Battle of the Trees, Amaethon's brother Gwydion transformed trees into warriors with
whose help the forces of the underworld were defeated.
Ambisagrus
Continental Celtic god, equated by the Romans with Jupiter.
Ancamna
Romano-Celtic water goddess of continental Europe.
Andarta
Gallic (Celtic France) fertility goddess.
Andraste
(ANDRASTA, ADRASTE)
Goddess of war in Celtic Britain. Queen Boudicca (Latin
Boadicea), leader of a rebellion against the Roman occupation,
reportedly sacrificed captive Roman women to this god in AD 61.
Anextiomarus
British-Celtic tribal deity.
Angus of the Brugh
(AONGHUS, OENGUS OF THE BRUIG, MAC OC)
Irish (Celtic) god of youth. See Aengus.
Aonghus
See Aengus.
Aranrhod
See Arianrhod.
Arawn
Welsh (Celtic) god of Annwn, the underworld of the dead. A famous tale in the Mabinogion relates how Arawn persuaded Pwyll, prince
of Dyfed, to trade places with him for a year and challenge Hafgan, Arawn's rival for dominion of the underworld. Pwyll
defeated Hafgan and was rewarded with a gift of pigs.
Arduinna
Gaulish (Celtic) goddess of forests and hunting. Known particularly from the Ardennes region of France, to which she
gave her name. Her sacred animal was the boar. The Romans equated her with Diana.
Arianrhod
Welsh (Celtic) earth goddess, daughter and/or wife of Don, wife
and/or sister of Gwydion, and mother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes and the
sea god Dylan. Her name is interpreted variously as meaning
'silver wheel', 'silver circle' or 'high fruitful mother'.
Arnemetia
British-Celtic water goddess.
Artio
(ARTIO OF MURI)
Continental Celtic goddess of the bear cult. Known from
inscriptions in the Bern region of Switzerland.
Arvernus
Gallic god of the Arverni.
Aufaniae
Continental Celtic deities, they seem to have been matron-like
figures.
Aveta
Gallic goddess of birth and midwifery.
Badb
(THE BADB, BODB)
Irish (Celtic) goddess of war. She formed part of a trinity of
goddesses with Macha (Nemain) and the Morrigan. She often took
the form of a crow or raven during war, when she was known as
Badb Catha, 'battle raven'. She often took part in battles,
influencing their outcome, and led the Tuatha de Danaan to
victory over the Fomore at the mythical battle of Magh Tuireadh
(Moytura).
Balor
Irish (Celtic) god of death, King of the Fomorians. Son of Buarainech, husband of Cethlenn (Cathlionn). Balor had one eye
which had the power of striking dead anyone who looked into it. At the Battle of Magh Tuireadh (Moytura) he slew Nuada but was slain in turn by the god Lug. It had been prophesied that Balor would be killed by his own grandson. To prevent this, he had his
only daughter Ethlinn locked up in a crystal tower on Tory Island. But Cian, one of the rival Tuatha De Danaan, managed to reach Ethlinn with the aid of a druidess named Birog, and slept with her. Ethlinn gave birth to a boy, which Balor discovered and
threw into the sea. The druidess Birog saved the boy, who was subsequently fostered by the sea god Manannan Mac Lir, and the boy grew to become Lugh Lamhfada of the Long Arm, or Lug.
Banba
(BANBHA)
Goddess representing the spirit of Ireland. Part of a trinity with the goddesses Fotla and Eire. She appears to have been a fertility goddess as well as a goddess of war.
Beag
An Irish goddess of the Tuatha De Danaan, associated with a magic well.
Bean Sidhe
BANSHEE
Popularly known as banshee, a type of Irish god or fairy whose wailing warned of approaching death. Literally, 'woman of the
hills', indicating the demotion of the old Irish gods to the status of fairies.
Becuma
Irish goddess who married the High King Conn after being banished
to the human world.
Belatucadros
Celtic god of war worshipped in Britain (primarily in the region of Wales). The name seems to mean 'fair shining one' (compare Belenus). Belatucadros was equated by the Romans with their god
Mars.
Belenus
(BELINUS, BELENOS)
"Shining" or "Fair Shining One". Celtic god, probably of fire or of the sun. His worship extended from northern Italy to Britain. He seems to have been identical with
the Irish god Bile. His festival was Beltain on May 1 when purifying fires were lit and cattle driven between them before being allowed out onto the open pastures. Belenus was equated
with Apollo by the Continental Celts. Several Latin writers refer to Belenus in connection with Aquitaine, Austria and northern Italy.
Belisama
God of the river Ribble among the British Celts.
Berecyntia
Gaulish goddess, probably the same as Brigit (q.v.).
Bile
Irish god of death, equivalent to the Celtic gods Bel and
Belinos.
Boann
(BOAND, BOANNAN)
"She of the white cattle". Irish goddess of the River
Boyne. Wife of the water god Nechtan or of Elcmar, consort of the
Dagda, by whom she was the mother of the god Aengus.
Bodb
Irish goddess of battle. She prophesied the doom of the Tuatha De
Danann after the Battle of Magh Tuireadh (Moytura).
Bodb Dearg
'Bodb the Red', a son of the Dagda who succeeded him as ruler of
the gods.
Borvo
(BORMANUS, BORMO)
"Boiling". Gallic (Celtic France) god of mineral
springs and healing. He was known as Bormanus in Provence and
Bormanious in Portugal. The Romans identified him with their
Apollo.
Boyne
Irish river deity. See Boann.
Bran
Celtic (Irish and Welsh) hero god (perhaps also a god of poetry
and of the underworld). He is the brother of the sea god known to
the Irish as Manannan mac Lir and to the Welsh as Manawydan ap
Llyr. The raven (or crow) was associated with him, and his name
can be taken to mean 'raven', and some scholars take this to mean
that he was a god of the underworld. In Irish myth, Bran was said
to have sailed to the otherworld, from which voyage he and his
men could not return without dying once they set foot on Irish
soil, a great deal of time having passed in the world of the
living. In Welsh myth, Bran was said to have been killed while
leading an invasion of Ireland. Bran was said to have instructed
his men to bury his head in the White Mount in London, where it
would ward off invasion as long as it remained undisturbed. King
Arthur is said to have had the head removed from the site, saying
that Britain should be protected by the valour of its people
rather than by supernatural means.
Branwen
Welsh goddess (perhaps descended form an earlier Celtic goddess
of love). She was the daughter of the sea god Llyr by Iweridd,
sister of Bran, and wife of King Matholwch of England.
Brea
Minor Irish god -- a member of the Tuatha De Danann.
Breg
Irish goddess, wife of the Dagda.
Bres
(BRESS)
Irish (Celtic) god of fertility and agriculture, briefly a leader
of the Tuatha De Danann and husband of the goddess Brigit. His
mother was Eriu, a member of the Tuatha De Danaan, his father
Elatha, a prince of the Fomore. He succeeded Nuada as king of
Ireland after the former lost a hand at the first battle og Magh
Tuireadh. But Bres proved an unworthy ruler, and he was deposed
in favor of Nuada once the latter had a temporary silver hand
replaced by a real one, making him fit to rule once more. Bres
fled into exile and rallied the Fomore against the De Danaan, but
the Fomore were defeated at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh.
Bres was captured during the battle and his life was spared when
he promised to instruct the De Danaan in the art of agriculture.
Brigantia
Celtic (British) goddess of the rivers Braint and Brent, which
were named after her, and a tutelary goddess of the Brigantes in
Yorkshire. She was also a pastoral goddess associated with flocks
and cattle. During the Roman occupation she was associated with
the Roman goddess Caelestis as Caelestis Brigantia.
Brigindo
Name of the Celtic goddess Brigit in eastern France.
Brigit
(BRIGID, BRIGINDO)
Celtic goddess of healing, fertility, and patroness of smiths. In
Ireland she was known as the daughter of the Dagda and wife of
the god Bres. Also known in Gaul and Britain, her festival was
that of Imbolc on February 1. Giraldus Cambrensis, a medieval
Welsh chronicler, wrote that in his day a fire was maintained at
her sanctuary at Kildare, Ireland. Her worship continued after
Christianization in the form of St. Brigit or St. Bride.
Britannia
Romano-Celtic (British) tutelary goddess.
Bussumarus
Continental Celtic god, identified with the Roman Jupiter.
Cailleach Beara
(CAILLEACH BHEUR)
Celtic (Ireland) goddess represented as an old hag. She was said
to turn to stone every April 30 (Beltine) and to be reborn every
October 31 (Samhain).
Camulos
War god of Celtic Britain. He gave his name to the Roman town of
Camulodunum (Colchester).
Caridwen
See Ceridwen.
Carman
Irish goddess whose three sons (Calma, Dubh, and Olc) ravaged
Ireland before being defeated by the Tuatha De Danann.
Caswallawn
A Celtic war god of Britain.
Cathubodua
Irish and continental Celtic war goddess.
Ceridwen
(CARIDWEN)
A Welsh (Celtic) goddess who seems originally to have been a corn
goddess, best known for her role in the story of the poet
Taliesin's childhood. The consort of Tegid Foel, she had a
daughter, Creirwy, and a son, Afagddu. In the Taliesin story,
Ceridwen prepared a brew in a great cauldron which was to give
her son Afagddu the gifts of inspiration and knowledge to
compensate for his ugly appearance, and set the child Gwion to
stirring it. However, Gwion tasted the brew and thus obtained its
benefits. Ceridwen, realizing what had happened, pursued the boy,
during which both she and Gwion transformed themselves into a
variety of creatures. Finally, Ceridwen in the form of a hen,
swallowed Gwion in the shape of a grain of corn. However, this
only served to impregnate Ceridwen, and she later gave birth to
the rejuvenated Gwion. She wrapped the infant up in a leather bag
and threw him into the river. The child was rescued by a
fisherman who, struck by the child's beauty, named him Taliesin
('radiant brow').
Cernunnos
"The horned one". Celtic horned god apparently
connected with fertility and wealth. His cult was widespread, but
centered on Gaul (France). He was later imported into Britain.
Cernunnos is depicted as the 'horned god', with the antlers of a
stag, most notably on the famous Gundestrup cauldron discovered
in Denmark. He seems to have been a god of fertility and of wild
animals.
Cliodhna
Irish goddess of beauty. Later a fairy queen in the area of
Carraig Cliodhna in County Cork.
Clota
Celtic goddess of the river Clyde.
Cocidius
Hunting deity of Celtic North Britain. Equated with the Roman
Silvanus.
Condatis
River god of Celtic Britain.
Contrebis
Local god in the area of Lancaster in Celto-Roman Britain.
Corb
Irish (Celtic) god; one of the Fomors.
Coventina
Goddess of water and springs in Celtic Britain. Known locally in
the area of Carrawburgh (Roman Brocolitia) along Hadrian's Wall.
Creiddylad
(CORDELIA)
Celtic (Welsh) goddess, daughter of Llyr. She later appeared in
Shakespeare's King Lear as the king's daughter Cordelia.
Cyhiraeth
Celtic goddess of streams. Later entered folklore as a spectre
haunting woodland streams. Her shriek was said to foretell death.
Celtic Gods: D - Z
©Mark de la Hey, 1994, 1995.
Dagda
Irish (Celtic) 'Good God', earth and father god, leader of the
Tuatha De Danann. One of his epithets was Ollathir, which is
generally interpreted as meaning 'All-father'. He is paired with
the goddesses Morrigan and Boann, and is the father of Brigit and
Aengus Mac Oc. The Dagda is portrayed as possessing both super-
human strength and appetite. Among his possessions were an
enormous club which could both kill and restore men to life, and
a great cauldron which provided an inexhaustible source of food.
Damona
Gallic goddess, known as the "Divine Cow"; spouse of
Borvo (Bormanus).
Dana
See Danu.
Danu
(ANU, DANA)
Irish (Celtic) earth mother. Matriarch of the Tuatha de Danaan
('People of the Goddess Danu)', the gods of Ireland. The Dagda,
one of the 'People of Danu', was sometimes referred to as her
father. Her Welsh equivalent was the goddess Don.
Dea Matrona
Celtic deity at source of Marne.
Dea Sequana
Celtic deity at source of Seine.
Dian Cecht
Celtic god of healing.
Dis
Caesar's name for the supreme god of the Celts he encountered in
Gaul. It is uncertain which Celtic deity this refers to.
Domnu
Irish goddess of the Fomors.
Don
Welsh goddess, counterpart of the Irish Danu. Wife of Beli.
Dylan
Welsh sea god; brother of Lleu. He was eventually slain by
Govannon.
Edain
A Celtic goddess associated with riding and probably equivalent
to the Gaulish goddess Epona.
Epona
Celtic mare goddess, goddess of horses. Later adopted by the
Romans (also Bubona) as a goddess of horses and cattle.
Eriu
Irish goddess whose name is preserved in Eire, the Gaelic name of
Ireland.
Esus
Celtic "Lord" or "Master". An agricultural
deity of the Celtic Essuvi, who derived their name from him.
Fand
Wife of the Irish sea god Manannan.
Firbolgs
(FIR BOLG)
Early gods of Ireland.
Fodla
Irish goddess who was part of a trinity of goddesses said to have
ruled Ireland at the coming of the first Gaels to the island.
Fomore
(FOMORII, FOMORIANS)
An Irish race of gods, adversaries of the Tuatha de Danann. The
fourth dynasty of Ireland, they succeeded the Firbolgs and were
in turn overthrown by the Tuatha De Danann. The Tuatha finally
defeated them at the Battle of Magh Tuiredh (Moytura).
Fotla
Irish goddess.
Goibniu
(IRISH GOIBHNIU; WELSH GOVANNON)
Celtic smith god. In Irish myth, Goibhniu, together with Credne
and Luchtainel, manufactured the arms which the Tuatha De Danann
used in defeating the Fomors.
Govannon
(GOFANNON)
Welsh equivalent to the Irish smith god, Goibhniu. He was the son
of Don, and the brother of Amathaon and Gwydion. It was Govannon
who slew the sea god Dylan.
Grannus
Continental Celtic god of healing, associated with mineral
springs.
Gwenn Teir Bronn
Celtic goddess of motherhood.
Gwydion
(GWYDYON)
Welsh warrior/bardic/magician god. He was the son of Don and
Beli, and father of Lleu and Dylan by his sister Arianrhod.
Hooded Spirits
Triad of Celtic deities, associated with healing and fertility.
Lir
(WELSH LLYR)
Irish sea god.
Lleu Llaw Gyffes
Welsh hero god, Lleu of the Dexterous Hand, analog of Irish Lug.
He was the son of Arianrhod and Gwydion.
Llyr
(IRISH LIR)
Welsh sea god. Father of Bran, Branwen, and Manannan.
Lug
(LUGH, LLEU, LUGUS)
Celtic hero god. Known to the Irish as Lugh, and to the Welsh as
Lleu. He was also prominent among the continental Celts, giving
his name to the towns of Laon, Leyden, and Lyons (Lugdunum). His
festival, the Lugnasad, was held on August 1.
Lugh Lamfota
(LUGH OF THE LONG ARM/HAND)
"Lugh of the Long Arm/Hand". An Irish deity analogous
to the continental Celtic Lug, and to the Welsh Lleu Llaw Gyffes.
He led the Tuatha De Danann to victory over the Fomors at the
Battle of Mag Tuireadh.
Lugus
Celtic deity, continental form of Lug (qv).
Luxovius
Celtic god of healing.
Mac Greine
Irish kingly god.
Macha
Celtic goddess of war, one aspect of the triple Morrigan.
Manannan mac Lir
Irish god of the sea and of fertility. He was the son of Lir and
the husband of Fand. His Welsh equivalent was Manawydan ap Llyr.
Manawydan ap Llyr
Welsh version of the Celtic sea god, known to the Irish as
Manannan mac Lir.
Maponos
Celtic god of youth.
Mars, Gallic
Gallic war-god.
Math Mathonwy
Welsh god of sorcery.
Matres
(MATRONAE)
Celtic mother goddess of Gaul.
Medb
(MEDHBH)
Celtic goddess of war.
Midir
(MIDER)
Irish chieftain god of the Underworld. Son of Dagda, husband of
Etain.
Minerva, Gallic
Gallic goddess of handicrafts and arts.
Morrigan
(THE MORRIGAN, MORRIGU)
Celtic battle goddess. She was said to hover over the battlefield
in the form of a crow.
Murigen
Irish lake goddess, probably a form of the Morrigan.
